Tarnessa
by Ninamazing
Summary: My first Tamora Pierce fic, set in Tortall .... Well, I need your opinions!! Come on!! =) Reviews are nice, too. Ooh! Yay! I'm happy. Finally, I suggested a category, and posted the first fic in it!!!! *shuts up as she gets strange looks*
1. Escape

**Author's Note: This was created from SIS ... Sudden Idea Syndrome. LOL! :) Just thought it might be cool ... and I wanted to get back into writing fantasy anyways ... even if it's not as active as Harry Potter (*wink wink nudge nudge*) ... but this ended up being Tamora Pierce! Strange how things like that happen, huh? *grin* Anyways, hopefully this'll be the first fic in Tamora Pierce!**

**Oh, and if you haven't read T.P. (You BETTER soon, start with "Alanna: The First Adventure"), "the People" refers to animals. Wild magic is where you have magic in a strong connection to animals - healing, talking, and so forth.**

**Dedication: to Tamora Pierce ... because without her, I wouldn't be writing this and I wouldn't have ... well, I wouldn't have found out a LOT of things! Also I wouldn't be inspired. Thanks!!**

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Tarnessa moved quietly, effortlessly, swiftly. A normal person would have made sounds echoing all through the forest of crashing in the underbrush, but this was Tarnessa, trained, ready, fast, skilled. Born the daughter of a king, hidden as the daughter of a blacksmith, she was leaving her home to follow the quest that the Great Mother Goddess had set her with.   
She stopped, and heard voices and footsteps. She whispered a Word, and instantly she and everything she touched was invisible. She crept back so that the oncomers would not feel her.   
"She must be here somewhere," said a deep male voice. "She can't have gotten that far!"   
"Who knows, Cor? The Goddess might have helped her along ... Lord Raxley said she said something about a 'fool vision in a dream,'" a thin, oily voice remarked. It sounded - triumphantly confident, Tarnessa decided.   
"A vision? I wouldn't mess with it, then," the deep voice replied, a hint of fright in it this time. Tarnessa heard a branch move, and the leaves rustle gently.   
"Stop fidgeting," scolded the second voice. "Let's keep going. We have to find her. Remember Lord Raxley's penalty?"   
"I remember," the deep voice admitted grudgingly. "Let's keep going."   
"I can't believe I was assigned to you," the thin voice muttered, but the deep voice made no reply. Leaves rustled loudly, a twig cracked, and a horse, her rider, and a walking person passed her invisible form by an inch. She shivered, but just a little, and caught her breath instead of letting herself sigh with relief. She whispered the Word she had uttered before, only backwards, and kept going with the protection only of her short dagger and her powerful magic. And the firebird following at a fair distance in the trees.

"The girl's just _gone,"_ Yifan Tayner reported. "Just gone. And with magic like that ... she could go anywhere. She's afraid, I suppose. How many have found out she's really the lost Princess?" Hands went up all around. "I supposed as much. She didn't keep it up well, surprising for a girl with as much magic as her. She's got normal magic AND wild magic ..."   
"How do you know that?" Duke Naryl of Aidar asked. "Just you and five rejected soldiers, roaming ... how did you stray, anyway?"   
"Aiyaliah," Yifan began, with a sigh - she was the first female Knight Commander of the King's Own - "sent me and these five," here he made a gesture toward his companions, "off because we 'weren't doing well' or summat like that. And we were called to help track a lost girl from the village who had magic AND wild magic, and then we started discovering things about the lost Princess from the village records ..." His voice trailed off.   
"I see," said Duke Naryl icily. "And you believe there is no reason to send word to anyone. King Tetimus will be half-mad with worry because of you, boy!" The old man's voice shook, just like the rest of his agile body. He was strange to talk to, strange to see, and tedious to listen to. His only problem, the Queen always said, was that he could never get mad properly. The Queen had a nasty temper.   
"How were we supposed to send word?" Yifan asked, just as icily. "We looked. The lost Princess's the one with wild magic, not us ... and it's not like the People take too kindly to us anyway. OR the people, for that matter." He grinned in spite of his, and the Duke's, mood.   
"But how could she be using it?" the Duke wondered, angry and puzzled. "She hasn't been trained ... there's no way she could be doing anything ... it's just impossible ..."   
"Not for her, apparently," Yifan remarked, and shrugged as the Duke glared. "I don't know any more than you do, but we could use your trained magic to help us search."   
"First send one of your soldiers to Corus," ordered Naryl. "There's no time to waste!" he added, as Yifan looked apprehensive. "Even though you're runaways ..."   
"Rejects," Yifan corrected. "Rejects."

As she ran, Tarnessa tried to remember if she had a brother. She could remember a few of her -   
"Mithros, Mynoss, and Shakith!" she whispered. There was a four-feet-wide strip of clear land in the middle of the forest, as if someone had cut it, and she had been about to step in it!   
She remembered something a voice of long ago had told her: "Clear spots in a forest is where magic abounds ..."   
Tarnessa closed her eyes - she found out that through her eyelids, she could see magic if it was strong enough. Yes, there it was ... the strip was covered in it. _So somebody's spelled the forest to find me, _she thought, almost smugly. _Well, they won't. Blackthorn!_   
Her last comment was directed at a small firebird beside her. ~I am here~, it replied. ~What do you need me for?~   
_Could you - _Tarnessa hesitated. Could her tiny companion really do it?   
~Tell me~, Blackthorn said impatiently. ~Or just keep going. We have no time to waste. The People tell me humans are all around us, waiting.~   
_Could you burn a path around the strip? It looks like it's spelled to extend across as long as it is tall, but the trees haven't gone yet. They look weak, though._   
~I don't understand~, replied Blackthorn. She strutted around uncomfortably. ~I was only a starling until I was enchanted by that mage, you know. It's not like I know everything about magic.~   
_I _know, Tarnessa told her, exasperated. _Well ... here's how the spell is set: it's meant to be a huge square, a mile by a mile, I think. But the trees only go away at least nineteen hours after casting ..._ she gasped, realizing what she'd just said.   
~Let's go a different way~, Blackthorn suggested. ~Like I said, the People tell me they're all around us. Or at least -~ Her bird eyes blinked rapidly, as they always did when she was talking to her friends. ~At least around this square~, she continued at last. ~They're closing in on it.~   
_Then how do we go anywhere? Are they looking for me? What is the square, a locating device like I thought? Force me to walk into the square by surrounding me ... and they must know the People would tell me ... so I'd walk - how could they think I'd be so stupid? - right into the square, and then ... _she stopped, realizing that that would depend on their knowing where she was.   
"Uh-oh," she whispered aloud, and held Blackthorn as she whispered the Word. She was invisible again, but just to be safe, she whispered another one, and now she made no sound. Quickly, she dashed back through the forest. She'd find a way around the humans. She was sure of it.

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**A's N: VERY short, I know ... but I wanna see if anybody wants a sequel or not, or what! 'Kay? 'Kay. Good. :)**


	2. Knight Commander

**A's N: Ah, first things first. *grin* When I found out that a few of you thought that a Tamora Pierce FF.N discussion list would be a good idea, I started TamoraTalk and invited a few people ... but if you'd like to join, just send me mail (or review! Reviews are good. *wink*) at dragonbkwrm@yahoo.com and give me your email address so I can add you, alrighty? Thanks. =)******

**Now on to the story ... first, it's *after* Jon's king, Aquilla - good question, I didn't make that clear. Personally, I don't like Jon because I can never forgive him for the things he said to Alanna when she was with the Bazhir ... *shudders* Meanie.**   
**Where you can find the Circle of Magic ... well, any bookstore should have it (Borders would probably be your best bet) but Amazon.Com or Borders.Com would also definitely have it, if you want to try online shopping. And look for the Circle Opens quartet, too - the time when Sandry, Tris, Daja, and Briar take their first pupils. ;)**   
**To the one who reviewed as "Me": That is the ULTIMATE compliment, saying you couldn't tell my writing from hers!! *big grin* A million trillion thanks and of course, no offense meant to Tamora Pierce, one of the *BEST* writers in the world. And to Marina: Thank YOU for thanking me ... lol that sounds funny but it means a lot to have people review so wonderfully, and so FAST. This is for ALL of you!!******

**Okay, you can read now. Thank you SOOO much again - you guys are the *BEST*!!!!******

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"I didn't know you were a mage, Yifan," Duke Naryl remarked, watching his spell-casting of a huge search-square in the center of the forest.   
Yifan grimaced. "Not exactly. I'm a reject at that, too."   
"Still, Aidar could use your skills," Naryl told him slyly. Yifan smiled, the tension between them seeming to vanish.   
"I'll keep that in mind."   
"Sir!" Yifan's sentry yelled, approaching him and bowing to the Duke. "Your Grace."   
"Greetings," Naryl replied.   
"Sir, twenty of the King's Own approaching, with the Knight Commander in front, looks like," the sentry informed Yifan, who frowned.   
"So fast?" Yifan cast a glance at Duke Naryl.   
"I had nothing to do with it," the Duke defended himself, holding up his hands in puzzlement. "Surely. They only sent me to do an appraisal of the province. Some dukes participate, once a year. The ones in the Duke's Conclave," he explained. Yifan nodded and turned back to the sentry.   
"Tell the men not to arm themselves. We don't want to be seen as ... traitors," he ordered, shuddering at the word. The sentry nodded and went to tell the once-soldiers as the men of the King's Own became visible to Yifan's eye.   
"Maybe I'd better go," Naryl suggested, swinging back onto his mare. "No offense meant, but they wouldn't take to kindly to you, with what I've heard of Aiyaliah." He smiled grimly as Yifan wished him good luck and patted his mare.   
"Mithros, help me find this lost Princess," he whispered urgently. It was all he needed to be accepted back into the King's Own - he hoped.

Meanwhile, Tarnessa plowed through the forest, hoping to find the wall of men that the People had warned her of through Blackthorn, but she found no sign of them at all. She narrowed her eyes, forgetting that she was invisible and nobody would notice.   
~Something worries you,~ Blackthorn noticed immediately. ~Is it the men the People promised?~   
_It's nothing, Blackthorn,_ she told him, avoiding the question. To the birds, she added, _Where are they? Do you still see this ring of men around the search-square?_   
_ No, _a finch replied, and the rest agreed heartily. _They are moving, and they have put their weapons down. They are leaving._   
_ You could have told me before,_ Tarnessa responded sulkily, but thought better of it and added, _Thanks._ She then remarked to Blackthorn, _Well, they're leaving. Looks like they couldn't find me._ She couldn't manage to keep the smugness out of her voice. _Where should we go next?_   
~You keep forgetting that I wasn't always a half-immortal,~ Blackthorn told her. Tarnessa sighed, forgetting also that she made no sound.   
_I do not,_ she told him, _but you're going to have to start acting like what you are instead of a starling. Use your contact with the other immortals to some good use! I can't speak to all of them, and not at long range._   
~All right.~ There was a pause. ~The basilisks say to be wary of the men still. They leave the forest only for reinforcements - men of the King's Own and the Knight Commander.~ Tarnessa screamed, making no sound, of course, because of her well-cast spell, and started trotting a little faster through the underbrush. ~They want you, but if they get you, the Goddess will be angry at them. She will destroy Tortall.~ The firebird sounded like Tarnessa felt - frightened, and confused.   
_Why, Blackthorn?_ She asked. _Do the basilisks say?_   
~No, just that they will be angry too. And that you will find out, but in the meantime, keep your invisibility and no-sound spells on and don't let them discover you. The Goddess has something to say for you, but that must wait until you are - somewhere. They won't say anything else.~   
_Well, I'm going to go see what they want, _Tarnessa decided, making Blackthorn screech in alarm. She touched his vividly colored red-orange feathers quickly and the sound cut off sharply. _Be careful!_   
~It's you who should be careful,~ Blackthorn said, upset. ~They told you to evade capture, not to walk right into them!~   
_I'll be careful,_ she assured him irritably. _Chiron's taught me more than _that.   
The mention of Chiron, the town healer and also a secret great mage, Tarnessa's teacher, calmed Blackthorn somewhat. It was Chiron who had enchanted her to become a firebird, but it was also Chiron who had realized that that was the only way to save the injured starling and befriended her. Blackthorn stopped screeching soundlessly, and Tarnessa hesistantly let go of her.   
_Let's go then,_ Tarnessa announced hastily. Blackthorn cautiously followed as she crashed through the forest to reach the soldiers of the King's Own on the other side.

"Ah, Yifan," Aiyaliah greeted the renegade soldier. "I wondered if you'd be doing anything worth doing with your wasted time spent training." Yifan winced at this cold hello, but forced himself to smile falsely and bow, knowing better than to kiss her hand. If it hadn't been King Tetimus attempting to do that the first time they met, the man would have been dead. Aiyaliah Slanderran was not to be reckoned with.   
Duke Naryl smiled slightly as Yifan bowed, guessing what he was thinking and glad of his good sense. The reject's four men - one was on his way to Corus, informing the King of the search - and the village men that had surrounded the forest before were approaching to greet the new arrivals as Aiyaliah explained why they'd come.   
"No news from you for days, Naryl," she scolded. "No wonder Tetimus thought something was amiss. You could have the sense to send a messenger."   
"Ah, but one is on his way as we speak, sir," Naryl told her respectfully, controlling his facial expression so that he wouldn't have to hide a grin. Aiyaliah grunted and steeled her eyes even more.   
"And now you think you've found the lost Princess," she continued, glancing briefly at Yifan and then turning back as if he was not worthy of a longer gaze. "How interesting. And ambitious, trying to redeem yourself. Well, now you've got help, but we'll see how you do in this little venture. Perhaps it's well enough for me to reconsider my decision." She glared at everyone present, as if daring anyone to chuckle at the way she'd gone back on her dismissal of the soldiers. Not a sound came out of any mouth, although Yifan had to struggle to keep down his whoop of joy. Aiyaliah accepting them back was something he'd dreamed about, of course, but it was the first time she'd come close to admitting she shouldn't have sent any trainees away. It was almost more than he could bear, and he was determined to find Tarnessa if it took a stab at his life. Being a Knight of the King's Own was his childhood dream, and something always caught in his throat as he looked up at them carrying the tall banners and posts of different colors and styles to mark nobles and commanders of varying authority.   
"So. Duke Naryl of Aidar tells me you've set up a search-square in the center of the forest which the People will no doubt inform the lost Princess of, drawing her to it, and then, theoretically, your men can close in on her." Yifan nodded, still a little agitated at the fact that she refused to look at him. Mad that she has to "reconsider," he supposed, and tried to let the matter drop. "Hmm. Interesting plan. But it's impossible to surround the entire forest, tiny as it is in the span of the country, even with my men." She gestured back to the King's Own, and Yifan felt a pang of longing. "And they tell me she has both common and wild magic. So who's to say she can't turn invisible on us and sneak through the guards?"   
To this, Naryl had an answer. "She is not trained, Aiyaliah," he told her. "There is no possible way -"   
"Yifan seems to suppose otherwise, assuming that he figured the People would inform her of the search-square immediately," Aiyaliah cut him off, finally locking her cold icy-blue eyes into Yifan's friendly hazel.   
"Yes, I do ..." Yifan began cautiously, not wanting to anger Naryl. "There is a possibility that her magic is so strong she can master the basics without training, or that she has been trained in secret," he told them carefully. The Duke's eyes lit up in shock.   
"Well, if that's a possibility -"   
"And it is," Aiyaliah interruped again, agreeing with Yifan - he thought his eyes would pop out! - at last.   
"Then she could be doing, well, pretty much anything! This girl's got extraordinary amounts of magic, and I shudder to think ..."   
"Well then, we can waste absolutely no time planning," Aiyaliah stated firmly. "Soldiers! ... Including yours, Yifan ... Station yourselves all around our camp area and keep a close watch on anything unusual around you! Look for invisibility!" While the knights, villagers, and rejects were digesting the confusing orders, she screeched, "FAST!" They moved.

Tarnessa, after hearing the entire conversation except the icy introductions, looked around in terror at the soldiers assembling a guard. How could she get past their vigilant eyes? She was trapped - in the camp of the enemy.


	3. Royalty

**A's N: Back for more? *grin* Ha. Gotcha. (No, I don't know what the point of that was *EITHER*, but ... I'm strange. This shouldn't be new to you.) GUESS WHAT? I AM SO MAD! I THOUGHT OF A WONDERFUL PLOT IDEA LAST NIGHT AT LIKE ONE A.M. AND I DECIDED NOT TO WRITE IT DOWN AND NOW I FORGOT IT!!!! ALL I REMEMBER IS THINKING, "WOW, THAT WOULD BE AWESOME! I SHOULD PUT THAT INTO TARNESSA 3!" BUT, WHEREVER YOU GO, THERE YOU ARE. AND HERE WE ARE.**

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**A's N: Extraordinary bit of philosophy, isn't it? Actually, sorry, but I just remembered! (Well, you'll find out. *grin*) Thanks! E/R/R! (Or just ERR - "To err is human, to forgive is divine." Shoot. That quote reminds me of this one time when I didn't forgive someone who'd made a serious mistake. I HATE QUOTES!)**

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**A's N: Well, I just thought. That just makes me human then, doesn't it? Or at least not divine. And I'm *very* forgiving normally (normally, note!) but it depends on the severity of the mistake. I'm sorry. I should get to the story.**

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Tarnessa tried to keep still, and made sure to hold Blackthorn tightly against her to hide the firebird. Maybe an Immortal flying around wasn't *too* odd ... well, thought Tarnessa ruefully, yes it was, but not quite easy to notice, as firebirds were small in general and this one in particular, having been a starling before Chiron enchanted her ... but if one appeared out of midair? Decidedly unusual, and requiring investigation.   
She almost sighed, but decided against it, and figured that she'd do better to think of a plan. She racked her brains, trying to think of a spell or charm that would render her insubstantial, able to creep by the guards with her invisibility and no sound on also. This was going to use up a lot of her Gift.   
_ I wonder, can you transform wild magic into Gift temporarily? _she pondered.   
~I heard that,~ Blackthorn informed her. ~No. And stop squeezing my chest, I feel sick.~ Tarnessa quickly loosened her grip. That last thing she needed was to have her firebird go sick on her! But since she was an Immortal ... ~I know what you're thinking,~ Blackthorn responded, in answer to her unasked question. ~I'm a lesser Immortal, because I was changed from a starling, so yes, I can get sick. It can't kill me, but it can come close.~

As Yifan, Naryl, and Aiyaliah conferred about a search tactic for the lost Princess, Yifan looked dazedly around the small leader's tent. He was tired, having stayed up late telling stories to his men about the days when they'd be accepted once more as soldiers of Tortall. His eyes rested on Aiyaliah.   
_She really is quite pretty - er, she would be if she didn't frown quite so much, _he thought. _Too bad she won't let anybody get near -_   
"YIFAN!" she screeched. He winced, then blushed a little.   
"I was listening," he protested, fingers crossed under the table. She gazed at him sharply.   
"So what do you think, then?"   
He shook his head slightly to clear it, and then chose the only safe answer. "Well, I think that since I'm a reject and I 'don't work hard enough,' and neither do my men, I think I'll leave it to you to do the planning. I'll be your pawn," he told her sardonically. _There goes my acceptance back into the King's Own ... _he thought ruefully, and turned on his heel and left, feeling some strange compulsion to venture out into the forest, beyond the circle, no matter what it cost him - and well he should, for this compulsion was god-sent. The Trickster felt like helping him along ... of course, there had to be some benefit in it for him. He had a bet with a certain goddess about a very unlikely occurence ...   
Duke Naryl fought to keep from raising his eyes amusedly at Aiyaliah. She looked as though she might blow up any second, like a flour-filled building under extreme heat.   
Yifan Tayner's five men, including the messenger who had returned shortly after he stormed out of the leader's tent, followed him outside the circle, leaving gaps where they had been stationed, and sped off to the forest quickly. He had something he needed to see in that forest, and he wasn't going to let go of it.

King Tetimus was seated in a rich green velvet chair, worried and thoughtful, while Queen Iralia's dark blue eyes blazed and she stormed the length of the tiny palace room they were in, pounding her slightly oversized feet into the floor as her long, thin figure paced. Her black curls flew out of the hairstyle that must have taken some time to perfect that morning, her hair would never stay in place; and her pale skin was a touch reddened around her cheeks and ears. King Tetimus's soft brown eyes and strawberry-blond hair against his cinnamon-colored skin made for a sharp contrast between the two in public appearances.   
"Aiyaliah may have wonderful discipline, but she never had any common sense!" the Queen raged. "Just put a few soldiers in a circle and send a messenger up every day or so! What is she thinking?"   
"Ira, darling, Aiyaliah won't harm her," Tetimus soothed.   
The Queen glared at the ground. "Too much," she added.   
"Bringing the Princess here will cause her more pain than the soldiers will," the King remarked. Iralia spun on him, then sighed, relaxing a little, and put a soft hand on his arm.   
"I'm not mad at you, Tet," she told him quietly, the red in her ears and cheeks receding slowly. "I'm - I just wish - Carthak hadn't done this, that's all." The King pulled her into the chair next to him, and squeezed her hand gently.   
"They did, however, and we have to deal with that," he stated firmly, if a little reluctantly. "We didn't ask for her to be raised and trained by Carthaki warriors and mages at the age of 5, but somehow no matter how we try, there is always someone determined to hate us for all time."   
"I somehow get the feeling that happens to everybody," Iralia remarked with a grim smile.   
"Of course, not everyone's daughter is as smart as ours, and runs off to a small village where everybody knows everybody and therefore she is noticed when she runs away," rambled Tetimus.   
"Don't try to cram so much into one sentence, it's hurting your grammar," the Queen teased, and put her arms around him.

Tarnessa looked in amazement at the six men who had just left. ~Luck,~ Blackthorn marveled, amazed. ~Sheer luck. The gods must love you.~ She restrained herself from grinning and giving him a playful little poke and crept out of the circle surreptitiously, leaving the soldiers to keep watch for the nonexistent captive. Once back in the forest, she took the invisibility spells off with a deep sigh of relief, finally allowing herself some loss of discipline.   
_Luckily we don't have to worry about soldiers - they're mostly all either in tents or in that big circle, watching for me! _Tarnessa exclaimed.   
~I wouldn't be so sure on that,~ Blackthorn replied. ~What about the ones who left the circle?~   
Tarnessa squirmed, uncomfortable. _My Gift is low, _she reported. _I'm not sure I can cast the invisibility and no-sound spells._ Sure enough, she tried to cast the spells and her Gift flickered, making her fall forward, about to faint. Blackthorn broke her fall - even if she wasn't a large firebird, she still was pretty good-sized, and poured some of the contents of her canteen over her head. _That _saved her!   
"Thanks," she muttered. Blackthorn's little head bobbed, and they continued.   
Blackthorn and she traveled in silence for a long while, but the silence was broken when they encountered a traveling party going towards them. When Tarnessa heard the sound of footsteps, she leaped behind a large tree and desperately tried to cast even a small spell that would save them, but it was too late. The smiling eyes of Yifan Tayner - although she didn't know it at the time - were locked into hers. Blackthorn made no sound, but vanished, her feathers sticking out oddly and her beady eyes anxious.   
~The basilisks say they can take only me, because I am an Immortal, and in danger,~ she called back. ~I will return. Don't worry. Stupid Immortal laws! Just you and me, you'd think they'd be able to ...~ Her voice faded away. Those were to be her last words to Tarnessa for some time.

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**Have I corrupted it, or is it still good? TELL ME!!!!**


	4. Goddess

**First of all, I'm not trying to hog anybody's glory, Kestrel! :) Big round of applause for Kestrel please, who ALSO is responsible for bringing you this awesome category. Read all her fics and review. ;) And if you want to join TamoraTalk, review with your email address and tell me you'd like to join OR email me with a join request at dragonbkwrm@yahoo.com.******

**Of course, I won't get back to you right away, because I'm leaving early tomorrow to go on a family vacation until, like, the 18th of August. So -- yeah.**

**Great, that's all taken care of. Now you can read! =)******

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Tarnessa looked around for Blackthorn, but he was nowhere in sight, he'd been taken away by the basilisks - she felt her hands being tied swiftly behind her back and then her feet were being locked in, too - she was hoisted up onto a rough cot in the air - smirking hazel eyes were looking into her own again - something was bleeding on her left leg -   
Tarnessa sat up very fast, making her head hurt. "Did I fall asleep, Blackthorn?" she asked. She looked down. Blackthorn was pecking at her leg!   
~WAKE UP!~ was his only reply. ~The men are coming! Run!! Can you take us anywhere? Make no sound!~   
_I don't know,_ she answered as she dashed, head still aching. _Is there a Word for that? _She darted around trees, and whispered the Words that would make her invisible and soundless. She stopped to catch her breath, vowing never to let down her guard like that again. One sigh of relief she'd allowed herself, and she was asleep and dreaming of her capture. Disgraceful!   
Her thoughts traveled back to Chiron, the mage who had taught her all she knew of how to control her powers, and the blacksmith who'd posed as her father, Tarn. For the first time, she wondered if she'd be forced to give up her father's name. She didn't want to - she rather liked it. Tarnessa. It sounded brave - and daring - and her father was both. He was also happy, and funny, and loved her very much. She blinked back tears. What would the king be like?   
_You're never going to get to the King,_ she told herself sternly. _Remember the Goddess._   
She did remember ... it felt like yesterday ... the night she'd been given her instructions for what to do ...   
The Goddess had appeared to her in a dream ... but she knew Her message was real. She'd been wearing a silvery-green dress, no jewelry, and seemed to have a strange, glowing white light around her. She approached Tarnessa, and met her eyes with her huge, mystic ones.   
"Do not let them take you back home, Tarnessa. Do not let them take your father's name. Just run east, always east, into the forest. When you are far enough east - you will know what you have to do. Know where you are. I will be watching."   
And she had disappeared, but Tarnessa had not forgotten a word of her orders, even if the vision got blurry after awhile.

"We makin' a run for it, Yif?" a squeaky voice inquired.   
"No," Yifan Tayner answered firmly, crashing through the underbrush. "We're waiting until Aiyaliah deals with Lord Raxley. AND checking the woods for our Princess. Now be quiet. _Silent."_   
"Lord Raxley?" one of the other men gasped, obviously scared. "He knows we're here?"   
"Not if I have anything to say about it," replied Yifan. "Don't worry. You're only to look for Tarnessa. Now get going, all of you! Spread out and make as little sound as possible."

Chiron knocked softly on the thick wooden door of the cottage, at the far west end of Village Road. Smoke poured out of the chimney, and it was obvious that the blacksmith Tarn had to work in the broiling heat even inside on this beautiful summer day. An aging yet sturdy young man answered the door, pushing threads of graying hair out of his eyes with blackened, callused hands.   
"Chiron!" he exploded, surprised. "What brings you here? It isn't Tarnessa -"   
"Yes, in fact," the mage told him softly. "Hello, Tarn. Some disconcerting information has just come to my attention. It appears Lord Raxley is searching for her - extensively."   
"What does Raxley care about my daughter?" Tarn inquired angrily, while gesturing for Chiron to enter. The men sat on a small couch in the middle of the tiny room just inside the house. "He's got no business with her. And what if they catch her? Didn't you say something about Mithros - the Goddess -"   
"The Goddess has sent her on some sort of mission, as I gather," Chiron told him grimly. "If the progress of that mission is disturbed, it could lead to - terrible consequences."   
"Yet everybody wants her, it seems," remarked Tarn, frustrated. "I _know_ she's the lost Princess, and all, but how many could have figured that out? It's not like - Yifan," he said suddenly. Chiron's face changed abruptly into a look of concern.   
"Tayner? He's just an outlaw - or something. What did he want with you?"   
"He asked about Tarnessa," the blacksmith said carefully. Chiron put his head in his hands.   
"It's over," he announced, his voice slightly muffled. "It's up to Tarnessa now."

Duke Naryl of Aidar stooped to exit the leader's tent, but quickly snapped back, breathing hard.   
"Lord Raxley's on the warpath," he reported, before Aiyaliah could say something sharp to him about being startled.   
"Lord -"   
"The Lord of this fief," he explained, as if she were a child. He just couldn't resist. She glowered. "Fief Baartil."   
"I know that!" she informed him crossly. "What's he doing mad at us?"   
"He was leading the search for Tarnessa before you came," Naryl told her, amusement dancing in his eyes now. Yifan had told him everything about the search for her when he'd first gotten here. "Not because she was the lost Princess, though. She pretended to be the daughter of a blacksmith, until Yifan found her out by talking to her father. No, Raxley's looking for her for certain - uh - other reasons." He couldn't hold back a grin, but Aiyaliah frowned and grunted.   
"Stupid reasons, if you ask me," she muttered, but Lord Raxley burst into the tent just then, flanked by two guards.   
"What is this madness?" he screamed at the pair of them. "With all due respect, Aiyaliah, why do you think you can just burst into my fief and capture my girl?"   
"We haven't found her yet, and she's by no means yours. She _belongs,_ if you wish to use such a vulgar term," her eyes flashed as she spoke now, "to the King and Queen, as she is their daughter. You've no right to lead soldiers anywhere near here, unless you're helping _us._ We also have no intent of _capture,_ Raxley."   
Duke Naryl had to have considerable respect for Aiyaliah's large amount of sternness at that moment; Lord Raxley backed down almost as quickly as they guessed he fired up, even though she'd made no reference to his Lordship in her little lecture. She wanted to make it clear that _she_ was the Knight Commander here, and just because she was a woman was no reason to yell and scream. She knew discipline.   
"What do you want me to do then, Aiyaliah?"   
"Lady Aiyaliah, if you please," she corrected icily. He might stand for improper etiquette, but she had the authority to do that, and he didn't. "Return to your castle. You may be informed when the Princess is found."   
"PRINCESS?" he exclaimed. "Nobody told me that! She's a blacksmith's daughter! She -"   
"- is a princess," Aiyaliah finished. "Go." Sulkily, he stalked out, beckoning to his guards to come. His departure created a fresh breeze in the tent, which was extremely welcome. He trudged back to the castle with a deep frown on his face.   
"My part in this is not over yet, Aiyaliah," he whispered darkly, so that even his guards couldn't hear. "I _will_ have her. No Goddess, and no Knight Commander, will stop me."


	5. Palace

**I know .... I know .... I've been neglecting this story. ;) Forgive me! Forgive me! *laughs* Anyways .... [I know I'm weird ...] I'm very happy right now. Hee hee.******

* * *

Pacing his study in anguish, Lord Raxley muttered fiercely under his breath and convulsively brought his hands to his head, his expression hot. Old books lined the study; servants whispered that they must have been for appearance only, since Raxley was lazy, chauvinistic, and uneducated: nepotism was completely responsible for his inheritance of Fief Baartil. A thick, rogueish mustache perfectly accented his wild black eyes and scurvy visage.   
A timid servant knocked gently on the door. "Sir? Master?"   
He spun around sharply, the trance broken. "What do you want, servant?"   
"They've found th' princ'ss. Th' men arksed me to tell yuh, sir."   
An expectant, triumphant, truly evil smile spread over Lord Raxley's face. Now was his moment.   


"We're not going to tie you up," Aiyaliah said in a low voice to the struggling girl in front of her, "because unfortunately I must obey the King and Queen in everything I do. But you've proven yourself dangerous, and we can kill your little firebird friend at any time. The law of immortals has its pleasant little loopholes, doesn't it?" Her face was almost touching Tarnessa's, and the princess's face returned her vicious, frightening stare with the ferocity of a wild animal. The two would have been well-matched to each other, and probably would have made good friends if they hadn't been on opposide sides of a battle. "There it is," Aiyaliah continued. "I've kept nothing from you. Be silent, and be cooperative, or you'll see my _very_ angry side."   
Tarnessa's insides writhed in cold fury. She longed to shout, "If you don't set me free, the Goddess will destroy you all without mercy!" and put that smug woman to complete shame.   
_ The King and Queen didn't even _bother_ to come and witness this, _she thought in a kind of terrified rage. _How dare they put this monster in charge of me? Tarn is my father now. He raised me, he did everything that a father could do for a daughter, and more. There are some times when birth has to step aside for loyalty. Why can't they understand that? I should have stayed in Carthak .... but I was too clever for them, I had to show off my skills ...._   
She was frightened for Blackthorn, furious at the thought of meeting her "real" parents, and insufferably ashamed at being caught like this. All her mage training from Chiron, all her incredible skills, had gone to waste. She pictured Chiron, clenching his fists and setting them on fire in despair and disappointment at her like he had always used to do: "Girl, girl, how many times do I have to tell you to learn the language before you say the word!" She closed her eyes and watched Tarn slam his hammer on the hard stone next to the fireplace in frustration: "No more fighting with the village children, Tarnessa. No. More. Be like the forge, I always tell you, be like the forge, don't let any abuse affect you. Be. Like. The. Forge."   
A hot blush filled her cheeks, and she imagined all her ancestors thrusting her memory away in utter shame at being related to _her:_ "We thought she would do us proud, we really did. We had such high hopes for her: her potential, her skills, her knowledge. But we were wrong. She dishonored us, she was captured. She let them take her, and didn't even put up a good fight ..."   


"What a lovely day to be in the Royal Palace of Tortall, with the princess on the way," a cheery serving-maid remarked on her way to the back kitchens. "Even the air is excited. I saw Iralia with a smile on her face, can you believe it? And Tetimus is saying something lovely to every person he sees, when he's usually so dark and solemn and calm. One of Iralia's hairdressers says that her curls actually stayed in place all day yesterday: she hasn't put one toe out of line. Isn't that amazing?"   
"They're holding a festival in the city upon her return, I hear," a chef's assistant remarked. "Balloons and suchlike. On'y the Court of the Rogue stole nearly half of the dancers' costumes. An' they tell me Iralia didn't even flinch! It's a miracle of the gods, this is. To have the princess back!"   
"Yes, indeed," the first maid agreed. "'Twill be told for centuries. 'Tis that kind of story, ain't it?"   
"An' to think we're here in it!"   
"Surrounded by so much intrigue, too. Did yuh hear the tale about Lord Raxley of Fief Baarstil down there? Apparently Aiyaliah told him off the search when he got there. An' he wasn't looking for Tarnessa for personal glory, I can tell yuh that!"   
"... don' even wan' to think abou' that, really. Wha' if she was yuhr daughter?"   
"At least yuh'd be the king. Lord Raxley on'y got his place cuz his father and gran'father'd had it fer years. Everyone says he's a madman. But most of us like the King."   
"Tha's true, I s'pose."   
"So did yuh also hear about the reject from the King's Own who wuz out there looking for Tarnessa?"   
"Yes, but he was looking for Aiyaliah's forgiveness. Leastways, that's what I've been told. So what d'yuh think they're gon'tuh name her?"   
"Hasn't she got a name?"   
"'Course so! But nat'rully they'd change it now cuz she took that blacksmith's name, th' one who pretended t' be her father."   
"Doncha feel sorry for him right now?"   
"Never thought abou' it that way."   
"Yes, well, ouch, the cook's calling."   
"Stay alive!"   


The news fell like a wrecking-ball upon the palace, and descended over the heads of the jubilant Tortallans in a bleak haze of despair. The rumors started the instant the first serving-maid set eyes upon the weary, weakened messenger whose eyes had an odd, deadened look in them, and the wild-eyed priestess of the Great Mother racing through the endless halls of the palace directly to the royal lodging wing. There was no time for formality.   
"Port Caynn - the horror - children drowning - people dying - screaming - terror - everywhere," gasped the messenger when they finally got there. "Mithros - save us ..." He collapsed, and as he was being carried off the priestess, looking out-of-place but completely in control and very displeased, burst into a furious warning to the rulers of Tortall.   
"Do not you realize what you have done?" she exclaimed, frantically waving her arms about, eyes blazing in terror and anguished helplessness. "What can I tell you that will make you believe? Tortall will crumble, and we with it! Every one of us! Tarnessa has been," she paused here, as if for emphasis, "chosen by the Goddess. She was never your daughter! She was in the hands of the Goddess all the time, close to her. Do not attempt to imprison her; her fate is clear. The Great Mother can destroy us all. Her methods should not be underestimated! You forget, modern Tortallans, who to pay respects to. You forget what you pledged to sacrifice when you took the Oath of Honor on being crowned. _'And even, if Tortall demands, my heart, my soul, my strength, I pledge to the people for all time ...'_ You forget, rulers of Tortall! You break the Oath! Tarnessa is your heart and soul, but she is the Goddess's beating heart. **Let her go**, or none of us will escape the merciless suffering. I beg you, implore you, and I, Head Priestess of the Temple of the Goddess, **order** you."   
With a final look of panicky desperation, the priestess turned on her heel and fled, back the way she had come, hoping against hope that the crisis could be quelled - before it was too late for all that she had cherished and hoped for.   
  



End file.
